Joe and Sparky, Superstars! by Jamie Michalak illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz

Here is another joyous beginner book - Joe and Sparky, Superstars!  Joe Giraffe is a man with ideas.  Sparky, the tortoise, is somewhat reluctant to try new things but he is a loyal friend.

The friends, who live in cageless zoo, see a show on television about Talented Pairs and immediately Joe can see fame and glory.  The problem comes when they try to discover Sparky's talent.  Nothing seems right :

"I am done!' said Sparky.  'I cannot dance or tell a joke.  I cannot run, slide, or stand on one foot.  I cannot be Sparky the Star.  Just for you Joe, I have tried.  But we will never be a talented pair."

Of course this is not quite true and at the end of the day Joe and Sparky make a surprising and wonderful discovery.  This is, however, not the end.  The last page is perfect.  Joe sees a poster advertising positions for movie extras and it is clear the whole process will begin again.

Here is the web site for the author.  There are three books in this series. We definitely need to add all of them to our library collection.  You can read an excellent review here.

This book reminds me of the Minton series by Anna Fienberg so if you are a Minton fan you should look for Joe and Sparky.